Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

सर्वव्यापिनमव्यक्तमनन्तं विश्वतोमुखम् । तस्य पादतलाभ्याशे स्वर्णकेयूरमण्डिताम्

Transliteration

sarvavyāpinamavyaktamanantaṃ viśvatomukham | tasya pādatalābhyāśe svarṇakeyūramaṇḍitām

Translation

അവൻ സർവ്വവ്യാപി, അവ്യക്തൻ, അനന്തൻ, സർവ്വദിശാമുഖൻ. അവന്റെ പാദതലങ്ങളുടെ സമീപത്ത് ഞാൻ അവളെ കണ്ടു—സ്വർണ്ണ കേയൂരങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കൃതയായ ദേവിയെ।

Word by Word

• सर्वव्यापिनम्: all-pervading
• सर्वव्यापिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-व्यापिन् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + व्यापिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative singular)

• अव्यक्तम्: unmanifest
• अव्यक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-व्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गपूर्वक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative singular)

• अनन्तम्: endless, infinite
• अनन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-नन्त (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative singular)

• विश्वतोमुखम्: facing all directions
• विश्वतोमुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्वतः-मुख (प्रातिपदिक; विश्वतः (अव्यय) + मुख)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Accusative singular)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Genitive singular)

• पादतलाभ्याशे: near the soles of the feet
• पादतलाभ्याशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद-तल-अभ्याश (प्रातिपदिक; पाद + तल + अभ्याश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• स्वर्णकेयूरमण्डिताम्: adorned with golden armlets
• स्वर्णकेयूरमण्डिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ण-केयूर-मण्डित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; मण्ड्/मण्डय् धातु (धातु) + क्त; स्वर्ण + केयूर)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम् (Feminine, Accusative singular; past participle)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (within Revā Khaṇḍa context; likely a ṛṣi/narrator describing a vision)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tirtha milieu (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic Lord described as unmanifest and all-faced; near His feet stands the Goddess, luminous, wearing golden armlets—an intimate, devotional framing at the pādatala.

Characters & Entities

• The Lord (Īśa/Śiva implied)
• Devī (implied; developed in next verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse pairs transcendence (avyakta, ananta) with devotion: the Divine is approached through reverent vision at the Lord’s feet.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit site is named; the passage supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred narrative atmosphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a transitional description leading to Devī’s identification.